Basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has a lot of memorabilia from his storied career. When he retired in 1989 he had scored more points, blocked more shots, won more Most Valuable Player awards, and played in the most All Star Games of any player in the history of the game. All of those accolades mean he has a lot of very sought-after memorabilia, from trophies, to jerseys, to sneakers, to signed items that Abdul-Jabbar touched or used during his decades-long career.
Since Abdul-Jabbar retired, he has acted, written, and continues to promote his Skyhook Foundation, an organization for students of economically challenged schools. The foundation takes those kids out of predominantly urban environments to give them a wilderness experience in Angeles National Forest. To that end, Abdul-Jabbar writes on his website that he will be selling all of his old memorabilia in the service of his foundation, saying that “when it comes to choosing between storing a championship ring or trophy in a room, or providing kids with an opportunity to change their lives, the choice is pretty simple. Sell it all.”
Abdul-Jabbar says “instead of gazing at the sparkle of jewels or gold plating celebrating something I did a long time ago, I’d rather look into the delighted face of a child holding their first caterpillar and think about what I might be doing for their future.”
Good on you, sir.